Stalin Defends Tamil Nadu’s ‘Ru’ Symbol In Budget, Says FM Sitharaman Too Has Used It Earlier

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has defended the state's decision to use the Tamil letter for 'ru' instead of the official rupee symbol in its 2025-26 budget, highlighting that Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had previously used the Tamil letter 'Ru' (rubai in Tamil) rather than 'Re' in English.

"Interestingly, Nirmala Sitharaman herself has used '' instead of '' in English," Stalin remarked, emphasising that the move was a reflection of the state's commitment to promoting the Tamil language.

Photo Credit: PTI

"To demonstrate our unwavering stance on the language issue, we introduced the Tamil 'Ru' symbol," he stated, criticising those opposing Tamil for turning the decision into "a major controversy."

Stalin also pointed out that despite making "hundreds of requests to the Union Finance Minister for funds for salaries and education," the state had received no response, reported India Today.

He further noted that many people continue to use 'Rs' instead of 'Re' in English documents without any objections.

His remarks come in response to Sitharaman's criticism of the DMK government's move, in which she accused it of "promoting secessionist sentiments under the pretence of regional pride."

In a post on X, the Finance Minister claimed that replacing the rupee symbol indicated a dangerous mindset and was an "unavoidable example of language and regional chauvinism."

Earlier this month, Stalin shared a post on X featuring a teaser for the state budget.

"To ensure the widespread development of Tamil Nadu to benefit all sections of society..." he wrote, using the hashtags 'Dravidian Model' and 'TNBudget2025.' The budget logo noticeably lacked the official rupee symbol, which is inspired by the Hindi letter for 'R.'

In previous budgets, Tamil Nadu had included the rupee symbol in its logos. The 2023-24 budget prominently displayed the symbol, which was designed by a professor from IIT-Guwahati, the son of a DMK leader. This year's decision marks the first instance of a state rejecting the national currency symbol.

DMK spokesperson A Saravanan clarified that the move was not intended to reject the rupee symbol but rather to celebrate the Tamil language.

"It was an attempt to showcase the Tamil letter 'ru'," he explained.